Selectively-operable timing mechanism



R. D. SMITH.

SELECTIVELY OPERABLE TIMING MECHANISM- APPLICATION FILED APR. 16, 1917. RENEWED AUG. 12.1919.

1,385,098. Patented July 19, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

.R. 0. SMITH.

. Patented July 19,1921.

2 SHEETSU'IEET 2- IIlI SELECTIVELY OPERABLE TIMING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. l6, I917. RENEWED AUG. 12, 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAYMOND D. SMITH, OF ARLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SHAWMUT MACHINE WORKS, INC., OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

SELECTIVELY-OPERABLE TIMING MECHANISM.

Application filed April 16, 1917, Serial No. 162,337. Renewed August 12, 1919.

for governing the limited and predeter-' mined movements of an automatically-actuated, but manually operable device ;-and particularly when such device is of a type adapted to occupy alternately one, and then the other, of two operatively different positions, as is the case with a gas valve of the type shown and described in my copending application, Serial No. 324,226.

The invention aims in general to further the convenience of control and the usefulness of such a device, as for instance a gas valve or electric switch, by providing in compact form a simple arrangement of timing mechanism that can readily be set to consume substantially as long time, in the completion of its operative cycle for governing the automatic movement of the device, as in practice would ever be desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in conjunction with such timing mechanism, readily accessible and easily operated means for manually setting or con necting the said device into different and definite positions relative to the manual and automatic controlling agencies therefor ;-so that by manipulation of said means either of the said two positions of the device may at will be made the destination of the succeeding time-governed, automatic movement thereof.

The practical advantages resulting from the foregoing described features, and others to be later described, manifest themselves, for an illustrative example, in the application of my novel timing mechanism to a gas valve for an ordinary gas water-heater burner, such as is adapted to be used with the ordinary domestic water boiler in place of the usual coal range connection thereto. In practice such heaters are often provided with a constantly burning pilot flame situ- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 19, 1921.

Serial No. 317,100.

ated in igniting relation to the main heater burner so that only opening of the gas supply is necessary to set in operation the burner. In this connection, the means of adjustment and the long time interval above referred to make possible and useful the ready variation in the setting or connecting of the valve plug (which latter here constitutes the automatically actuated device), as described and without the removal of any casing parts or the use of auxiliary tools, so that either timed, automatic closure of the valve may be effected, such as is desirable when heating water for the bath or other domestic purposes or so that timed, automatic opening of the valve may be had, such as is desirable for automatically heating water at a predetermined time, say, preparatory to the immediate use thereof upon arising in the morning.

The immediate valve-controlling agency, relative to which the valve plug as herein shown is adapted to be set or connected in differently operative positions, comprises a member constantly under tension tending to maintain, say, a closed position of the valve, and to impel the latter to that position unless the valve is held open, manually or otherwise. It is old in the art to combine, with such type of valve,z'. 6. one constantly tensioned for closure, a timing mechanism having a separate actuating means or control handle for energizing and adjusting the latter to hold the valve open for a limited and predetermined time ;-it being clear that, here, there are two separate control handles or the like,-one for the valve and one for the timing mechanism. But heretofore such control handles or the like have been so arranged that the said timing mechanism can be energized or adjusted for the purpose described only when the valve is in substantially an open position. In other words, the manual operation heretofore required for establishing the valve in an open position for a predetermined time, has necessarily consisted in first opening the valve against its closing tension, and secondly, manually holding the valve thus opened while setting the timing mechanism by means of its separate actuating handle, to retain the valve open. Such manner of operation obviously requires the simultaneous manipulation of the said separate controlling handles, and such requirement of operation is objectionable, both from the standpoint of inconvenience of operation and also of susceptibility of the somewhat delicate timing mechanism to impairment by attempted improper manipulation there of, perhaps by an operator not familiar with the device.

Aiming generally, among other things, to provide a remedy for the above described conditions, my present invention has, for a particular object, to provide a novel and simple detent arrangement governable by the usual timing mechanism in a way to require very little power of the latter, yet capable of retaining the valve in a desired position against a comparatively very powerful valve-operating tension. And I have further provided in this novel detent arrangement, a detent member normally disengaged from the timing mechanism so as to enable the latter to be movable and thereby manually energizable entirely independently of the position of the valve, and I have so arranged the said member that the valve is entirely free therefrom except in a single, designed position of the latter ;so that not only is simultaneous operating of the separate controlling handles not required, but even their sequence of actuation is not restricted.

To the above described objects among others to be pointed out hereinafter, my invention resides in the novel elements and arrangements, or the equivalents thereof, hereinafter described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in front elevation showing a preferred form of my improved tim ing mechanism as applied to a simple form of tension-operated gas valve, here shown in closed position, the casing for the mechanism being omitted and the valve control arm partially broken away for clearness; Fig. 2 is a view taken partially in section on the plane 2-2 in Fig. 1 looking downwardly. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing different operative positions of the various parts and further showing portions of the casing dials and certain operating and indicator parts associated therewith exterior of the casing; Fig. 4rshows, in perspective, the valve, partially sectioned for clearness, and certain of the immediate actuating agencies therefor including the means for adjustment of the position of the valve relative thereto; and Fig. 5 shows, also in perspective, an exploded view of the several parts that constitute the said means for adjustment.

In all views of the drawings identical parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

A common valve body is shown at 10, with suitably threaded terminals 11, for connecting the same in a pipe line. The usual rotative tapered valve plug 12 is held in its seat in said body by the spring 13 as usual, and oscillates therein to control the flow of gas by varying the rotative position of the diametrical opening 1-]; through the plug. In Fig. 1 the opening 14 is shown as positioned transverse the valve body and therefore is out of alinement with the gas passage 15 therein so that the valve is closed.

A control arm 19, provided at its end with a handle 20, has a rearwardly extending hub portion 31 and a forwardly extending hub portion 18, the latter having four radial and equally spaced slots 21, 24: and 25, in its forward face. The hub portions 31 and 18 are loosely pivoted on a forwardly extending stem portion 17 of the valve plug 12, which stem portion is formed with two diametrically opposite keyways 27 of a width similar to the slots 2-1, 24c and 25, 25, and adapted to register with a selected pair of said slots. A spiral ribbon spring 21 at one end 22 thereof is fastened to the hub 31 and at the other end 23 to an abutment 28 formed from the front support plate 26, so as normally to hold the arm 19 in the position shown in Fig. 1 and against a stop abutment 66. Another stop abutment is provided to limit the swing of arm 19 in its upper extreme posit-ion. A retaining disk 31 for the spring 21 and a spacing washer 9 are mounted on the valve stem between the plug 12 and the hub 31. The arm 19 carries pivoted thereto at 29, a latch finger 30, held yieldingly against the hub 18 by a spring 7, and having a rearwardly bent extremity 6.

A detent lever 35, is pivoted to the front support plate 36 at the stud 37 and is normally positioned by the spring 39 and stop lug 33, so that a spur portion 38 of said lever shall be engaged by the latch finger 30 in the open position of the valve shown in Fig. 3. The extremity 32 of lever lies in the plane of rotation of a cam disk 10, as shown in Fig. 2, which disk is normally positioned so that a slot 4-9, in the periphery of the same, shall lie in the path of movement of said extremity 32. The disk 5L0 is provided with a spur gear &2, fast thereto, and a hub 41 by means of which both said disk and gear are mounted to be loosely rotatable on a clock-arbor 43. This arbor carries mounted thereon with suitable frictional tightness, but so as to be relatively rotatable thereto, the ratchet wheel 44, and has bearings in the frame-plates 45, 46, the latter of which is secured to a support plate -17 for the clock movement and extending from the valve body 10. The arbor also carries fixed thereto, and adjacent to the forward face of frame-plate 15, a small pinion 70, which through means of integral idler gears 81 and 82, loosely pivoted at 83 to the frame-plate 45, are adapted to drive the gear 42 and disk 40 in the same direction as arbor 43, but at some suitably reduced speed as may be determined by the ratio of gears. As shown herein, the disk 40 is geared to turn at approximately one-sixth the speed of the arbor 43.

The frame-plates 45, 46 support therebetween an ordinary clock movement consisting of a main spring 50, connected at its inner end to the arbor 43 and at its outer end to a frame post 48, and adapted to be wound by counter-clockwise rotation of the said arbor in Fig. 1, after which winding the said spring may act, retarded by connections hereinafter to be described, slowly to drive the arbor in the reverse direction until it is returned to its original and normal position. A stop lug 71 is carried by the cam 40 and adapted to engage with a casing lug 59 to stop the cam in its said position.

A gear 54 of suitable ratio is loosely mounted on the arbor 43 to be driven thereby in a clockwise direction only, by engagement of said ratchet wheel 44 with a pawl 53 carried by the gear 54 and pressed into such engagement by a spring 55, all of which appears in Figs. 1 and 2 and is well known construction in the art. The remainder of the clock mechanism constitutes merely a train of ordinary retarding gears, one of which is in mesh with the gear 54, and which are governed in their spring driven movements by the usual escapement lever 56, balance wheel 57, and hair spring 58.

A casing 60, is provided to house both the valve and clock mechanism and on the outer surface of the casing are mounted two dials,one dial 61 for the clock mechanism and the other dial 62 for the valve. Cooperatively with the clock dial 61, are arranged two pointer-hands 51 and 72. The hand 51 is provided with operating handles 52 and is secured by a nut 73 to the squared end 26 of arbor 43 while the hand 72 is carried by the hub 41 of the cam disk 40. With gear ratios as stated, the hand 51 will make six full turns to one turn of the hand 72 and the dial 61 may be suitably graduated to indicate the time interval required for automatic return of the hand 72 to the zero mark after manual displacement therefrom.

The valve stem 17 extends forwardly through the casing and indicator dial 62, and is adapted on the squared end 75 thereof, to receive a wing nut 63, having a square hole 76 therethrough and two key projections 74, 74, adapted to enter simultaneously the two key ways 27, 27 in the stem 17 and a selected pair of diametrically opposite slots such as 24, 24, in the hub 18. The wing nut 63 is retained by a nut 77, which may be loosened to change the setting of the valve plug 12, relative to the arm 19, the wing nut 63 always remaining in fixed rotative rela tion to the gas opening 14 in the plug 12, and thereby adapted to register with appropriate marking on the dial 62 for indicating whether the valve is closed or open.

The operation of the device is as follows: To open the valve, the handle 20 is elevated from its position shown in Fig. 1, thereby swinging the arm 19 and valve plug 12 counter-clockwise against the tension of spring 21 until stopped by abutment 65. If now the disk- 40 is so positioned that the pointer-hands 51 and 72 point to zero, the slot 49 is so positioned that upon release of arm 19, the valve will be closed by the spring 21, the detent lever 35 yielding to its broken line position shown in Fig. 1, to ermit the passing of latch finger 30.

o lock the valve open, the block pointerhand 51 must be rotated counter-clockwise, which movement winds the main spring 50 and displaces the slot 41, so that yielding of detent lever 35 is prevented by engagement therewith of the periphery of cam 40. The arm 19 may now be released, and the valve will be held open by engagement of spur 38 with the latch finger 30. The clock movement will now automatically act to rotate the cam and pointer-hand back to their original positions to release the detent lever 35 and allow the valve to close. It should be noted that in case the pointer-hand be displaced from zero, and the detent lever 35 thereby prevented from yielding before the valve is opened, opening of the valve to permit the same to be locked in open position, by detent lever 35, is permitted by the yielding arrangement of the latch finger 30.

It will be obvious that an equivalent yielding arrangement for this purpose can be provided by constructing the spur 38 as a movable member, adapted to yield for permitting the passage of latch finger 30 in one direction only, in which case the said latch finger can be replaced by a fixed projection on the arm 19.

If it be desired to reverse the operation of the device, so that automatic time controlled opening of the valve may be obtained, the nut 77 must be loosened to allow the withdrawal of the wing nut 63 until the key projections 74, 74 are disengaged from slots 24, 24, after which the arm 19 may be held and the valve plug 12 rotated by means of the wing nut 63, so that slots 25, 25 will come to register with keyways 27, 27 after which the wing nut may be replaced and the retaining nut 77 set up.

If desired, the nut 77 may be secured in its loosened position and a helical compression spring introduced between said nut and the wing nut 63, so that the latter is maintained in looking engagement with the hub 18 by the tension in said spring, but readily withdrawable from such engagement for the purpose of changing the setting or connection, as above described, but without loosening the nut 77. r

The advantages which I have heretofore pointed out as resident in my invention, herein shown, for illustrative purposes only, as embodied in the structure above described, are obtainable, as before stated, in the application of the novel principle of the invention to timing mechanism for electric switches or other useful devices adapted to be operatively adjusted by manually and automatically governed movement, and without therefore limiting the scope of my invention to the precise form thereof herein disclosed. what I claim as new is 1. Timing mechanism for a gas valve adapted for reciprocative movement between open and closed positions thereof, embodying in combination with the valve, a manually operable oscillatory controlling extension therefor; means for rigidly connecting said valve and said controlling extension selectively in a plurality of limited and definitely related positions, whereby the directions of movement of said control extension to open and close the valve are respectively reversed; tensioning means tending to close the valve; a yielding detent free of connection to said extension and normally positioned to engage with the same in a designed position of said extension; means normally operative to permit the escape of said extension from said detent whereby said detent is rendered normally inoperative to arrest valve movement; and a clock-driven member to lock said detent with means independently to stop the former in a position to release said detent, said member being manually displaceable from its said position and mounted for movement free of restraint by said detent when the latter is normally positioned; whereby said member is rendered operatively adjustable independently of the position of the said valve extension, to arrest said valve in a selected position for a predetermined time.

2. The combination with a controlled element of a resilient connection to said elementadapted normally to establish a definite position thereof; manually operable means for displacing said element from its said position; a projection extending from said element; a yielding detent free of connection to said element and to said projection and arranged normally to be engaged by the latter and displaced thereby from the path of movement thereof when said element is moving toward its said position; and timing mechanism, including a manually adjustable member for locking said detent, with power means adapted to impel said member to an inoperative position thereof, the said member being formed and positioned to prevent yielding of said detent means only when displaced from its said inoperative position; together with an inclosing casing for the said element, and a device manually operable exterior of the said casing for fixedly connecting the said element and the said manually operable means selectively in a plurality of definitely related positions.

3. Time-controlled,tension-actuatedmechanism embodying an element to be controlled, arranged for limited rotary reciprocative movement; manually controlled means to establish the element under rotative tension; a projection extending from said element; a yielding detent free of connection to said element and to said projection, positioned to be engaged by the latter and adapted thereby to be displaced from the path of movement thereof, when said element is moving toward one extreme position thereof; and timing mechanism for said element, including a manually rotatable cam for governing said detent, power means adapted to impel said cam to an extreme and detent releasing position thereof and means positively to stop said cam at said position, the said cam being formed and cooperatively arranged to prevent yielding of said detent only when rotatively displaced from its releasing position; together with a time-indicating dial and a plurality of inter-geared pointer-hands arranged cooperatively therewith and with said cam for indicating the degree of rotary displacement of said cam from its said position, one of said hands being carried in fixed relation to said cam and another of said hands being adapted for manually operating said cam and arranged for higher rotative speed than the latter.

4. Timing mechanism for a gas valve including a valve stem arranged for oscillatory movement to open and close the valve; and embodying in combination with the valve stem; a manually operable controlling extension therefor, loosely pivoted thereon; resilient connections to said extension adapted to establish the same in a definite, absolute position; a wing nut having a; hub for mounting the same on said stem, and also having engaging portions adapted to register simultaneously with corresponding means for engagement on said stem and said extension whereby said stem and said extension are connected positively in selected and definite relative positions; a detent positioned to be engaged by said extension when the latter is displaced from its said position; and a manually operable, clock-driven member for governing the said detent.

5. Timing mechanism for a gas valve, ineluding a valve stem arranged for oscillatory movement to open and close the valve; and embodying in combination With said valve stem; a manually operable controlling extension therefor, loosely pivoted thereon; resilient connections to said extension adapted to establish the same in a definite, absolute position; a wing nut having a hub adapted to be mounted on said stem in a definite rotative relation thereto and having projecting key portions adapted to engage simultaneously with registering keyways in said stem and said extension, whereby the former is adapted to be positively connected in different and definite, rotative positions relative to the latter; a detent positioned to be engaged by said extension when the latter is displaced from its said position; and a manually operable clock-driven member for governing the said detent.

6. In combination with a time controlled gas valve including a valve stem adapted for oscillatory movement to open and close the valve; an inclosing casing for the valve; a manually operable extension pivoted on said stem and extending exterior of said casing for operating the valve; a circular dial secured to the outer surface of said casing concentric with said stem and containing an opening central therewith for the obtrusion of said stem; a diametrically disposed operating member, having a hub for mounting the same on said stem exterior of said casing; and means for securing said member in fixed definite rotative relation to said stem and in selective definite relations to said extension,-whereby the setting of said stem relative to said extension may be shifted, and true indication of the position of the former relative to said dial preserved.

7. In a clock-controlled valve having a clock-revolved handle manually revoluble for adjusting and winding the clock, in combination; a clock-rotated cam arranged in different rotative positions thereof re spectively to hold and to release the valve for automatic movement and geared to rotate at a lower speed than said clock-adjusting handle is revolved; a time-indicating dial; and a plurality of inter-geared pointer hands arranged cooperatively therewith and with said cam to indicate the degrees of rotative movement of the latter ;one of said hands being mounted to rotate in fixed relation to said cam and the other of said hands carrying said clock-adjusting handle.

Signed in Boston, Massachusetts, this 13th day of April, 1917.

RAYMOND D. SMITH.

Witnesses:

JAMES D. GonnoN, E. LILLIAN MOFADDEN. 

